It’s that time of year again folks! the first two quarters of the music year have given us a lot to look forward to, and as we welcome the oncoming Fall season, we also welcome one of Hip-Hip’s most coveted and influential music festivals. Celebrating a very strong 14 years in rap’s heartland of Atlanta, the time has come for the annual All Three Coasts music festival, formally known as A3C. Every year the star studded festival brings out the year’s brightest minds and hottest spitters to further merge music and technology, and with this years’ headliners including Lil Wayne, J.I.D, Curren$y and a special 25th Anniversary tribute to the Wu Tang Clan, the sights are set for this year to be major.

Building on what A3C means to music and it’s surrounding environment, we’ve partnered with 10. DEEP clothing and AudioMack for the third year to bring some of the most promising names in music out to the big stage and broadcast their talents for our Sharks In The Water showcase. Last year artists like A$AP Mob’s Smooky MarGielaa, Young Nudy, Lucki, & Nessly came through and provided one of the most electrifying stages at the legendary festival; and this year we’ve lined up some of the south’s most prominent young artists as well as some of the east coast’s finest to show why they’ve got next.

With Flockaland hosting the vibes and hard hitting sounds from TRAP & HoodRich Keem, performances from YSL affiliate Lil Keed, Alamo Records & 1017’s resilient duo Yung Mal & Lil Quill, Lil Candy Paint, 2Feet Bino, Lil Reek, Littyand Young Jordan are set to show an impressive glimpse at the always progressing future of southern music. Holding it down for the East coast, Queens’ dynamic shining star Flee, Harlem’s new found hero Hass Irv and the always exciting Philly native ZahSosaa will be hitting the stage as well when things go down on October 6th at The Audiomack House @ Aisle 5.

Get your tickets now, because this is going to be insane. Check out a recap of last year’s show courtesy of Modern Life Mag.

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Though it’s content has been centered towards adults and those well over the legal age of eighteen, its hard to deny the impact Adult Swim has had on pop culture across a wide variety of demographics. Since it’s inception in 2001, the joint venture between Williams Street Productions and Cartoon Network has lead the way for producing some of the most iconic and cult-worthy content on television.

If it wasn’t watching Toonami after school, we all can remember times staying up late to catch glimpses of shows we had no damn business watching, and running back to our friends the next day to regurgitate scenes from culture shifting programs like Home Movies, Family Guy and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

We air music from young people, we have shows that young people like and, as a result, those young musicians out there watch our shows and then want to come back and make music with us.

— Jason Demarco

The Adult Swim team had already been doing A&R work in the realm of visual media before any of us really knew what that meant, bringing shows to fruition that other popular networks weren’t so keen on. As the years went by, the network’s brand grew exponentially along the same path until 2005 when Adult Swim’s VP Jason Demarco linked a joint venture with Warner Bros Records to work on MF Doom and Danger Mouse’s “Danger Doom” album; marking the birth of Williams Street Records.

Over time, Williams Street Records backed releases from artists spanning a vast number of genres, becoming one of the underground’s leading contributors to helping musicians tap into untouched markets. Their recent weekly ‘Singles’ program born in 2010 has upped the ante on bringing forward new music the current generation of listeners ten-fold by scheduling free, exclusive releases from artists such as Rae Sremmurd, Flying Lotus, Death Grips, Freddie Gibbs, Run The Jewels and most recently Father. In addition to the artist’s initial release via AS and Williams Street, the carefully curated music is brought to new listeners during the network’s iconic TV bumps, making for one of the greatest cross-platform marketing schemes in entertainment history.

Our viewers know that we don’t do it all the time, it’s not something that we’re bludgeoning them with; so they hopefully understand that when we do, it’s because we really like the music and we want to get that across to them.

— Jason Demarco

Plans and platforms like this come once in a lifetime, and with a never ending system that not only feeds it’s fans but also turns them into contributors, Adult Swim and Williams Street Records are quickly becoming two of the biggest names media. Check out a few of their iconic releases below.

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Much like the rest of us, you were probably ecstatic that Lil Uzi Vert made a recent resurgence and pulled attention away from that god-awful debacle of a beef between MGK and Eminem. The release of “New Patek” not only woke up many of Uzi’s woozy fans who’d been bombarded by LUV stand-ins, but also proved that despite the thoughts of many, patience has not been lost in the new generation of music listeners.

Everyone knows the common attention span to be constantly shrinking, and thanks to technology and social media, if you’re involved in music yours is probably moving at an accelerated pace compared to most. The concept is one that has execs in the music industry puzzled, but popular artists like Florida’s Lil Pump, Comethazine and more have cracked the code and made names for themselves by sharing waves of short, yet catchy tracks to win the bidding war for fans’ attention. In mid 2017, the energetic and controversial Lil Pump managed to land a major feat by not only having the number one song worldwide with “Gucci Gang”, but also secured the honor of having the shortest track in 42 years of Billboard history to accomplish the task.

Hits come far in between, and although it can be done, it is even more of an anomaly to do so under the average track length of two minutes and 45 seconds. What works for some, often doesn’t work for others; but this challenge has not deterred a number of start up artists whom have seemed to find their niche by following the trend of the aforementioned musicians, sharing quick and easily digestible content at a high rate.

Now more than ever, when an artist takes time away from producing a constant stream of content, they run the risk of their fan base going astray, often leading to a percentage of those fans not tuning in as intently as they once were, thus producing dwindling numbers. By dropping the 6 minute bombshell in “New Patek” (which has been streamed over 5 million times in two days), Uzi not only proved fans will stick around if the content is of the highest of quality, but they will also come back ten times as attentive.

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The day has come when the world has finally heard Cardi B’s debut album “Invasion of Privacy.” The New York stripper-turned-social-media-star-turned-reality-star-turned-rap-star-turned-superstar holds no bars back on this explicit and ferocious project. She digs deeper into her haters and her past, really letting people understand her point of view. Fantastic features from Chance the Rapper, Kehlani, and SZA makes this album a classic in its own right.

If there’s anything that Cardi’s success has taught us is that the future truly is changing. Here we have a Latina female hip-hop artist taking over the music game. It’s a time when true diversity is taking place across the board. Things are changing, and Cardi B proves that point.

While the world has been watching her trajectory into the superstar stratosphere, Cardi has remained humbled and hood. While Taylor Swift was sending Cardi B flowers for dominating the charts, Cardi was in the booth talking about sucking dick and making guys have blue balls. It’s a refreshing and almost unbearable take on staying true to yourself throughout the fame. Moms all over the world will now be worried if their children are listening to Cardi B, and that’s what makes it so special. To me, she gives Lil Kim, Nicki, Remy Ma and many more a run for the money as the new “Queen of Rap.”

Take your crown and hold I️t high, you’ve earned it. A great project from Cardi B. I’ll give I️t 8/10 on the first listen.

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Much like any other competitive industry, there are many unknowns when it comes to the world of music; more specifically the business side. Often the ones we look to the most as beacons of light and assistance turn out to have different intentions and lead us into darker waters. Even the most genuine artists in the game are not immune to the faux support that comes with success in the music industry, which is why believing in yourself is key; and Cameroonian visionary Lorine Chia has had a first hand lesson in the matter.

There's a good chance that over the past few years, you've seen Lorine's work just about everywhere. Her debut album LORINE was released in 2012 and served as Chia's introduction to the game, for which she instantly saw a ton of success. The next year gave way to Lorine's sophomore effort Naked Truths that later-on gave birth to glowing reviews from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Noisey and more. Things were seeming extremely promising for the Cleveland native, until the following year her management team at the time started displaying some unsavory traits regarding her music. Suggestions on her sound turned into a full on take-over of her creative freedom, thus leading to her departure from the company and prompting a move to Atlanta.

It was the worst time of my life. I wanted to quit, I lost all trust and faith in people, and I just couldn’t find myself wanting to do anything anymore.

— Lorine

Lorine's relocation proved to be a huge success however, resulting in her penning Young Jeezy's "Sweet Life" and a performance on CBS' 'The Late Late Show'. What followed next was a feat not many artists are equipped to take on; but with the help of a few friends she made along the way, Lorine managed to release four EP's, work her way into studio sessions with Pusha T, Pharrell and even secured a major spot on The Game and Wiz Khalifa's 4/20 anthem "Two Blunts".

Since then, Lorine has relocated to LA and has become a true testament of how far believing in yourself can take you. Now working toward the release of her first indie album Sweet Noise, she's taking the ultimate bet on herself and here's how you can help.

Chia recently began a kick-starter to help fund her new album, and with every donation provided, her supporters will receive some pretty sweet gifts. As stated on her campaign page, rewards will be ranging from Sweet Noise merchandise, a cameo spot in one of Lorine's coming videos, vocals from the 24 year old singer, a personal concert and many others.

Contributions to the cause will go toward covering expenses for recording, equipment, production, marketing and more. Check out Lorine'sfull Kick-starter campaign here for more details, and in the meantime listen to a few sounds from the talented young artist who Coca Cola has even dubbed as a "star for the future".

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Every year, the culture comes together and celebrates the life of one of this generation's biggest influencers, A$AP Yams. Yams played a key roll in developing the careers of many; so it's only right that for the 2018 edition of Yams Day, everyone who he has helped returns the favor and makes this year the biggest yet. Like always, Yams Day will take place on January 18th at the New York Expo Center in the Bronx. However, this year the performance list and guest lists are already ringing in heavier than before, which already has this positioned as the biggest event of the year so far. With the full A$AP Mob, Lil Yachty, Nav, G Perico, Aston Matthews, Retch and Da$h all set to hit the stage, things can only go up when The Cozy Boys and MixedByAli kick off their DJ Sets. Tickets are moving fast, so cop yours here. If you still need a bit of influencing, check out this dope footage of Yams Day 2017.

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Rich The Kid is really here for the takeover. Seeing a lot of success last year with his project Rich Forever 3, the growth of his two signees Famous Dex and Jay Critch as well as his buzzing single "New Freezer", Rich currently sits at one hell of a position as a young creative. With his hands in just about every aspect of the culture, it's about time Rich is getting recognition for being a true originator in the streets; and who better to recognize his skills than the bright and creative minds at Adidas. For their collaboration with Champs Sports, Adidas connected with Rich during a recent trip to LA to take about what really makes him stand out from the pack. The short clip has Rich talking about the vibes in LA, rocking some big diamonds as well as previewing Adidas' Originals Camo Collection. Shop here and check out the clip above.

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2107 has been an interesting year musically to say the least. We've seen artists from all over come out with styles, flows, mentalities and more that have never been seen, and it's all coming to a close. one of the biggest boosters in this trend has been the popular streaming service AudioMack; helping move music forward by providing an area from artists and creatives to post and listen to music from over 6 million listeners. With AudioMack's help, a number of tracks have reached the ears of listeners all over, and to celebrate a great year, we've gathered the 5 most played songs on the service for you. These have been your favorites all year, so give them another spin.

#5.) XxxTentacion FT. Trippie Redd - Fuck Love

#4.) Lil Uzi Vert - Xo Tour Llif3

#3.) Future - Mask Off

#2.) Cardi B - Bodak Yellow

#1.) Gucci Mane FT. Migos - I Get The Bag

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LightSkinMac11 is part of the southern powerhouse Two-9, and on "Rari" he proves once again, he can make some serious tunes. With a solid assist from Key! and Treez Lowkey, this spacey cut is a vibe made for cruising around the city. Lowkey snapped on the beat with an infectious drum pattern and airy chords. With Mac11's solo project Pit Lingo on the way we can only expect more fire from the Atlanta artist, wake up world.

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It's that time of year again! The 2018 Grammy's will place on January 28th at MSG in New York, so it's only right that the nominees are revealed so we can all get our votes in. For the 60th edition of the iconic ceremony, many of our favorite tracks have made the cut and gotten the approval; subsequently bringing forward a lot of young and new faces to the big stage, as Lil Uzi Vert, Khalid, Cardi B and more are listed. Until it's time for the big show, we've gathered the full list of nominations for you, to make the voting process easier. Stay tuned for more updates and check this out.